Sarah Versus the Sneak Attack
by Imagination-Parade
Summary: Sarah gets shot during what was supposed to be a simple mission.  Her wounds may be minor, but Chuck & Sarah have to deal with the aftermath.


_Hey everyone! Hope you're all doing well :)_

_This one is set just any time after Chuck & Sarah got engaged. As always, Chuck isn't mine, and please review!_

* * *

"Hey, Chuck!" Morgan Grimes called as he walked backwards into the front door of the apartment he shared with his best friend, his arms full of Chinese takeout. "I hope you and Sarah are back from your mission because I brought dinner! Sizzling shr…oh, jeez!"

Morgan nearly dropped the takeout containers in his arms, and he quickly averted his eyes when he got a glimpse of his roommates. Chuck Bartowski, dressed in jeans and a tee, was sitting on one end of the couch watching television. Sarah Walker was stretched out across the rest of the couch, sound asleep, her head resting on a pillow in Chuck's lap. Sarah's clothing, or lack thereof, was what had caused Morgan to look away. She was wearing nothing but one of Chuck's white button-down shirts and a pair of navy blue panties. Her left arm was wrapped in a deep blue sling, and a gauzy bandage covered one side of her forehead. Chuck shot a death glare at Morgan as he walked in yelling. Sarah stirred a bit in Chuck's lap, but after a soft, feminine sigh, she continued to sleep.

"_Morgan_!" Chuck hissed. "Would you keep it down, please? I would like her to stay asleep for the time being."

"Dude, I thought we talked about your fiancée's aversion to clothing…as least as it pertains to the public portions of the apartment. She can be as uncovered as she wants in your room," Morgan said.

"Morgan, do you notice anything different about Sarah tonight?" Chuck asked. "Something, you know, that maybe…wasn't there this morning?"

Morgan glanced at the scantily-clad sleeping beauty in Chuck's lap before answering, "Nope. No. She looks like the same leggy valkyrie that she always is."

Sarah stirred in Chuck's lap again, shifting from her side onto her back. She didn't wake, but her position change made Morgan aware of the fact that she had only fastened the middle three buttons on her shirt. Sarah rolled onto her back, and one side of the shirt fell to the side, exposing most of Sarah's stomach, as well as her entire lower body, save for the portion covered by her low-rise panties, to Morgan's eyes. Morgan groaned and averted his eyes again.

"Dude, seriously," Morgan said. "She's killing me here."

"Morgan, Sarah got _shot_ today," Chuck revealed. "The 'something different' is that her arm is in a sling. There was a _bullet_ in her skin a few hours ago, so until there's _not_ a bullet hole in her arm, as far as I'm concerned, she can wear whatever she wants, wherever she wants…however she wants."

Morgan set the tray of takeout containers onto the coffee table and sat down on a chair by the couch. "Oh my God, Chuck. I feel like an idiot," he said. "She really got shot?"

"Yes," Chuck said.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's okay," Chuck said. "I mean…there's a _bullet hole_ in her arm, but luckily, it was just her arm. She's here instead of the hospital, so she's okay."

"What the hell happened?" Morgan asked.

"I don't even know," Chuck sighed. "It was supposed to be just a simple retrieval mission. One minute, everything's going well; everything's going according to plan. We're about to get through the security measures protecting this flash drive we were ordered to steal, and then the next minute, there's these guards, and there's a shot, and Sarah's screaming, and then she fell and hit her head, and there was blood, and I just…I still don't know where we went wrong."

"You took her to the hospital? Does Ellie know you're spying again?"

"No, we didn't see Ellie. I got Awesome. He dug the bullet out of Sarah's arm and stitched her up in a private room in the ER," Chuck explained. "I was freaking out, and she just acted like it was no big deal. I know she's a big shot CIA agent, but there was a _bullet_ in her _arm_!"

"Well, here," Morgan said, passing him a container of takeout. "Have some sizzling shrimp. Take your mind off things."

Chuck placed the container on the little table by the couch. "Did you get enough for Sarah, too?"

"Of course," Morgan said. "You're not going to wake her up, are you?"

"I hate to, but she hasn't eaten anything all day, and that can't be good," Chuck said. "Now, she might not wake up easy, so don't freak out if she starts rolling around."

Morgan shifted in his chair so he was facing the television instead of Chuck and Sarah. Chuck pressed his hand against Sarah's bare stomach and brushed some hair out of her face.

"Sarah," he said. When she didn't move, he moved the hand on her stomach to her waist and lightly shook her. "Sarah, honey, wake up."

Sarah blinked several times before slowly opening her eyes. "Chuck," she said, her voice heavy with sleep. She squinted her eyes and asked, "How long have I been out?"

"A couple hours," he said.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, yeah, everything's great," Chuck said. "I just thought you should eat something. Morgan brought dinner."

A guilty grin broke out across Sarah's face as she glanced down at her body and back up at Chuck's face. "Morgan's home?"

Chuck nodded towards the chair that held his best friend. Sarah glanced over at Morgan, let out a nervous giggle as he smiled at her, and reached for the blanket that was strewn across the back of the couch. Chuck helped her pull it down and cover herself with it.

"Sorry, Morgan," Sarah said.

"Oh, hey, no, Sarah, whatever you need to be comfortable," Morgan said. "I can't believe you got shot!"

"Yeah, well…" Sarah shrugged. "Occupational hazard, I guess."

She pressed the arm wrapped in the sling against her waist, holding the blanket in place, as she used the other arm to pull herself up into a sitting position. She shifted so she was facing the TV and sitting close to Chuck. Chuck rested his elbow against the back of the couch and ruffled her hair. She smiled.

"How're you feeling?" Chuck asked softly.

"The painkillers are making me groggy," she said, leaning her head back against Chuck's hand and the couch cushions. "But I'm okay."

Chuck leaned forward and grabbed a takeout container full of the noodles he knew she loved. "Chinese food?" he offered. "Or is that too heavy for your stomach? I can go make you something else."

"I'm not sick, Chuck," she said, taking the Chinese food. She transferred the container to her injured hand and held it steady as Morgan handed her a pair of chopsticks.

"Right," Chuck said. "So you're good?"

Sarah nodded, and she and Chuck started eating. A few moments later, they noticed that Morgan, rather than feeding himself, was watching Sarah. Sarah glanced uncomfortably at Chuck. He shot Morgan another look.

"Why are you staring at Sarah?" Chuck asked. Morgan, as if coming out of a daze, shook his head.

"What? No. Sorry," he said, reaching for his shrimp.

"Morgan, whatever you want to ask, just…ask it," Sarah said.

"How did this happen? You're like…the best of the best!" Morgan said.

Sarah smiled at the compliment and said, "Well, Morgan, even the best can be caught off guard sometimes. As for what happened, I have no idea." She gestured to the bandage on her forehead. "I knocked myself out on a filing cabinet after I was shot, and I woke up with Chuck holding me in the van on the way to the hospital."

"Wow," Morgan muttered.

"Yes, it was a very graceful spy day for me," Sarah said sarcastically.

"Oh, no," Morgan said. "No, I didn't mean it like that."

Just as Morgan finished, the television show they were watching disappeared, and General Beckman appeared on the large flat screen in their living room.

"Good evening, agents," Beckman greeted. "…and Morgan."

Startled by her sudden appearance, Morgan nearly dropped his dinner again. The takeout box bounced back and forth between his hands a few times as he struggled to get hold of it.

"Whoa, General," Morgan said. "A little warning before you do that to a guy!"

"My apologies," Beckman said. Her eyes shifted from Morgan to Sarah. "How are you doing, Agent Walker?"

"I'm doing well, General; thank you," Sarah said.

"I'm glad to hear it," Beckman said.

"General, I don't really remember anything between the surprise attack and the hospital, so was the mission a success? Did Chuck get the flash drive?" Sarah asked.

Beckman looked from Sarah to Chuck. With an accusing tone, she asked him, "Do you want to tell her or shall I?"

Sarah shot Chuck a look filled with intrigue, while Chuck sheepishly looked down into his sizzling shrimp.

"Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"Colonel Casey was able to retrieve the flash drive," Beckman said.

"What about Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"Agent Bartowski abandoned the mission as soon as you passed out," Beckman explained. Sarah's mouth dropped open. "Luckily, Colonel Casey had left the van as soon as he saw you get hit, and he was able to arrive and take out the guards before Agent Bartowski could join you."

"_Chuck_!" Sarah exclaimed.

"What?" Chuck said defensively. "You can't possibly be mad at me for wanting to make sure you were okay. You got _shot_!"

"A good agent completes the mission before tending to a wounded colleague," Sarah said. "That's what the extraction teams are for. It wasn't even a fatal wound, Chuck!"

"I didn't know that!" Chuck exclaimed.

"It was in my _arm_," Sarah said. "There's a reason bulletproof vests don't cover arms."

"And then you hit your head," Chuck reminded her. "There was a lot of blood, Sarah!"

"Agents!" Beckman interrupted. "Your team completed the objective. Let's just leave it at that."

"Yes, ma'm," Chuck and Sarah said together.

"What's our next move?" Sarah asked.

"You give yourself time to heal," Beckman ordered. "That's an order, Sarah. Get some rest. Colonel Casey can take care of anything immediate that comes up, and we'll revisit the mission in a few days."

"I understand," she said.

"And Agent Walker, I'd like frequent updates concerning your recovery," Beckman said.

"Of course," Sarah nodded.

"Goodnight," she said.

General Beckman disconnected the video link, and the television show Chuck had been watching reappeared. Sarah glared at Chuck.

"What?" Chuck asked defensively.

"You're lucky they didn't kill you," Sarah said.

"You're lucky I care more about your well-being than a stupid flash drive," Chuck said.

"You're lucky Casey's fast," Sarah muttered.

"You're lucky…" Chuck started. That was all he got out before Morgan interrupted.

"You're _both_ lucky," Morgan said. "For all those reasons and more…you both are."

Chuck and Sarah shared a look at Morgan's words. Chuck ruffled her hair again, and the three turned back to their dinner.

* * *

After the food was gone, Sarah curled up to Chuck's side, slinging her legs across Chuck's lap. They cuddled together under the blanket, and Morgan joined them on the couch for a movie. A little over an hour into the movie, Chuck felt Sarah's head slipping down off his shoulder. He looked down at her to find her struggling to stay awake.

"Come on," Chuck said, placing a kiss on her head. "Let's go to bed."

"I'm okay," Sarah muttered. "Finish the movie."

Chuck pressed the 'record' button on the DVR remote and tossed it to Morgan. "There. It's recording. I'll finish it tomorrow."

"You're not going to be able to sleep. It's too early," Sarah said. "You'll just lie there."

"Sarah, I want to be with you, and you'll be more comfortable there," he said. "Let me take you to bed."

She looked at him for a few moments before she sighed and turned her head. "Goodnight, Morgan."

Without thinking about her proximity to Chuck's best friend, Sarah stood and thrust her good arm above her head to stretch, exposing her lower back and her legs to Morgan's eyes again. Sarah remained oblivious to Morgan's reaction, but Chuck grinned as he watched Morgan roll his eyes and silently mutter to himself.

"Yeah, uh…yeah, goodnight guys," Morgan said.

Chuck and Sarah wandered into the bathroom, fingers laced together. He picked her up and sat her down on the shiny countertop. Chuck wordlessly reached for the first aid supplies, and Sarah used her good arm to hold her hair away from her face. Chuck tenderly removed the bandage and cleaned the scrape on the side of her forehead. He lightly brushed his thumb against the swelled, purple skin surrounding it before covering the affected area with a fresh bandage.

Sarah let her hair go as Chuck maneuvered her injured arm out of the sling, tossed it onto the counter, and began unbuttoning the shirt she was wearing so he could change the bandage on her arm. Chuck still didn't say anything, but Sarah noticed his fingers beginning to tremble as he pushed the shirt off her shoulders. She watched him carefully as he hesitated before pulling the large bandage off her arm, his hands shaking even harder than before. He instinctively sucked in a breath when he saw the stitches embedded in her creamy flesh, so that's when she curled her injured arm up to take his hand in hers. Chuck gripped her hand tightly, and his eyes met hers. Sarah brought her other hand up to tenderly stroke his face.

After a few more minutes of silence, Sarah whispered, "I'm okay, Chuck."

At that, he fell into her, lips meeting lips in a fiercely passionate kiss. Chuck and Sarah clutched one another tightly as their tongues hotly rubbed against each other. After several seconds of deep kissing and strangled moans, they loosened their hold on one another and pulled away. They gently nipped at each other's lips several times before letting them linger, their breaths mingling together between their open mouths. They reveled in the heat between them for a few moments before Sarah dropped her head to Chuck's shoulder.

"Whoa, hey, what's wrong?" Chuck asked, pulling her hair away from her face. "You _just_ told me you were okay!"

"I am," Sarah muttered. "My arm is just _throbbing_."

"Oh," Chuck said, reaching for her prescription painkillers. "It's been a while since you've taken one."

"I don't like those," Sarah protested. "They completely knock me out."

"Well, then, good thing we're headed for bed," Chuck teased.

Just a few minutes later, Chuck and Sarah were lying in bed together, the room lit only by the light streaming in through the open curtains. Sarah's left arm lay elevated on the panda bear Pillow Pet Chuck had bought for, but not yet given to, baby Clara. Sarah's head rested on Chuck's chest, and he lightly held her.

"Sarah," he whispered after several minutes of silence. "Sarah, are you still awake?"

"Barely," she muttered. "I told you I didn't like those pills."

"Well, if I tell you something, are you going to remember it?"

"Yes," she said. "Of course."

"I'm not the type of guy who wants to control every aspect of his girlfriend's life, okay?" he started. "And I would never ask you to quit your job or stop spying, but I need you to not get shot. I know it comes with the territory, but I haven't been that scared since my first mission."

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Sarah said.

"For getting shot? It's not your fault!" Chuck said.

"No," she said. "You've been doing a wonderful job taking care of me all day, and until I saw your hands shaking in the bathroom, I never stopped to consider what today's events might be doing to you. You've never seen me get shot before."

Chuck's eyes widened. "You were shot before today?"

"Yes," she answered carefully.

"When? Where? What happened?" he asked in a rapid-fire voice, clearly beginning to panic.

"Chuck," she said. "I survived, sweetie. Don't freak out."

"Sorry," he said. "Where?"

"You know that scar above my breast? You've mentioned it, but you've never actually asked about it," Sarah said. "The one you usually kiss when we're making love?"

"Yeah," Chuck said. Sarah made a face that told him he had his answer. His eyes widened again. "_Sarah_!" he squeaked. "That's way too close to your heart! You could've…I mean, you could've…"

"Yeah, but it's actually good that it happened," Sarah said.

"You're gonna have to explain that one to me," Chuck said.

"I was twenty-two and flying through the ranks at the CIA Academy. Graham said I was the most promising young agent he'd seen in years," Sarah explained. "I thought I was invincible. Some people will tell you that I'm still pretty reckless, but getting shot when I did probably saved my life at the time. It made me a better spy."

"And by 'some people,' you mean Casey, right?" Chuck grinned.

"He would be one of them…" Sarah chuckled.

"I know you're a super spy. I know that, and I'll be honest, most of the time, it's really hot," Chuck said, eliciting a giggle from Sarah. Chuck grew serious and continued, "But Sarah, I watched my dad get fatally shot right in front of me. I watched the spy life kill him, and I don't want that to happen with you, too. I'm not even sure I really realized that it _could_ until today."

"I understand, Chuck," she said. "I worry that one day, Intersect or no, I'm going to have to watch you get shot right in front of me."

"So we just have to make a promise to each other to be careful," Chuck said.

"We are careful," Sarah said.

"To be _more_ careful," he corrected. "I want us both to actually make it to our wedding and to our life together."

Sarah nodded her agreement and looked up at the man that caused her to break the cardinal rule of spying. "We have a lot to lose now."

"Yeah," Chuck replied.

Sarah smiled up at him and caressed his cheek again. They exchanged whispered words of love and a few soft, tender kisses before she pulled away and settled back against his chest.

"So that promise?" Chuck asked.

She whispered, "I can do that."

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


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